Vehicles, such as a side-by-side utility vehicle (“S×S”), may include an active or adaptive suspension system for providing a smooth ride to a user. Active suspensions and adaptive suspensions or semi-active suspensions (herein described collectively as an “active suspension system”) are types of suspensions that control the vertical movement of the wheels of the vehicle relative to a chassis or a body of the vehicle with an onboard system. This differs from passive suspensions where the movement is determined entirely by the road surface.
The active suspension system may include dampers to control the vertical movement of the wheels. The dampers are may be electrically actuated hydraulic dampers controlled by servomotors, solenoid-actuated hydraulic dampers, magnetorheological dampers, or any other type of dampers known to those skilled in the art. Sensors continually monitor body movement and vehicle ride level, constantly supplying an electronic control unit (“ECU”) that controls the active suspension system with new data. As the ECU receives and processes data, it operates the dampers mounted beside each wheel. Almost instantly, the dampers generate counter forces to body lean, dive, and squat during driving maneuvers. However, the active suspension system and the effects of the active suspension system may not be visible to a potential customer. Therefore, there is established a need to provide a demonstration mode to illustrate the effects of the active suspension system.